Undergraduate - CourseBachelor of Fine Art

Students who commenced study in 2015 should refer to this course entry for direction on the requirements; to check which units are currently available for enrolment, refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course.

This course entry applies to students commencing this course in 2015 and should be read in conjunction with information provided in the 'Faculty information' section of this Handbook by the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture.

If you are seeking to commence your studies in 2016, please visit our new Find A Course for 2016.

Unit codes that are not linked to their entry in the Handbook are not available for study in the current year.

Description

The Bachelor of Fine Art is an intensive, studio-based program offered in the Department of Fine Art for students wishing to pursue a career as a practising artist. The course structure introduces students to a range of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary practices and methodologies. Students are instructed in core competencies and contemporary practices in the fine arts.

In the first year of the program students are encouraged to explore the relationship between a variety of media. In the second and third year, students can elect to specialise in a practice-based art field.

The supporting theory program for the Bachelor of Fine Art introduces the undergraduate students to contemporary approaches and research methods relevant to their studio practice, and provides pathways towards higher degrees by research in art and design.

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that graduates will be able to:

undertake sustained independent studio practice at a professional level in their chosen medium

identify and evaluate relevant research concepts in relation to aesthetics, history, theory and cultural issues in the relevant discipline

contextualise, generate and apply the discipline of the fine arts to position their independent professional studio practice and output critically within it

evolve their own aims, interests and vision, to be expressed through their studio work within the discipline of fine art with a high level of personal autonomy

interpret, represent and respond to diverse modes of human experience, expression and linguistic diversity including the socio-economic and cultural contexts of fine arts practice and the ethical responsibilities of the profession.

Structure

The course consists of the following components:

(a.) Contemporary practices (72 points)

This is the main study of the course and offered at each year stage. The contemporary practices sequence of units promotes an experimental and increasingly research-focused approach to projects and learning environments. Students are encouraged to develop collaborative and cross-disciplinary approaches to their practice and outcomes as well as developing individual projects. Teaching is focused around studio-based and research-led models and themes.

The first year of the program introduces students to a range of interdisciplinary practices and methodologies. Students are encouraged to explore the interdisciplinary relationship between a variety of media such as painting, sculpture, printmedia, photomedia and others, while gaining instruction in core skills and contemporary issues in the fine arts. The first year streams may cover topics such as spatial practices, representational and perceptual practices, conceptual practices, time-based and performative practices and are augmented by intensive studio workshops in perceptual and conceptual drawing, fabrication and theory.

The second year extends the student's study through research-led thematic clusters delivered across a range of mediums. In second semester, the students may choose to study abroad at the Prato campus, where specialised studios and theory options are offered.

The third year program develops as a research and professional studio practice, presenting the student with the opportunity to work with lecturers to develop individual or collaborative projects.

(b.) Complementary studies (12 points)

In their first year, students undertake 6 credit points in each of drawing and digital imaging for contemporary art.

(c.) Art history and theory (36 points)

The theory program for the Bachelor of Fine Art introduces all undergraduate students to key ideas and theories informing contemporary practices. Three art history and theory core units (18 points) are taken in first and second years introducing students to the key aspects of art theory concepts, practices, theories and figures of art. Later units enhance students' knowledge of contemporary practices. A further 18 points are taken as elective units in art history and theory in the second and third years of study. These units provide pathways to studies at higher degree by research level.

(d.) Electives (24 points)

Students take twenty-four points of elective studies comprised of one 6 point unit per semester from second year level. The first year complementary study units, PHO1204 (Digital imaging for contemporary art) and DWG1201 (Drawing 1), offer core skills development. They also provide pathways to advanced studies in digital audio video, photomedia processes and fabrication, CAD imaging, web design and digital publication, and further drawing. These units may be taken as medium-specific elective sequences from second year onwards. These may include topics such as artist's book studies, studio painting, small sculpture, advanced fabrication and casting, drawing for research, anatomical drawing, and sculpture in the expanded field.

(e.) Occupational health and safety (0 points)

A compulsory health and safety unit that deals with issues relevant to art and design.